India Day parade sets off in Edison on Sunday

EDISON -- For the first time in years, only one India Day parade will set off down Oak Tree Road from Edison to Iselin, celebrating India's independence.

The Indian Business Association's parade will include 25 floats, an appearance by Sen. Cory Booker and Bollywood actor Esha Deol as grand marshal. It steps off at 1:30 at the Cinder Road intersection.

"I think everybody is united behind this parade," said Satish Poondi, the legal adviser for the Indian Business Association.

For the past several years, two dueling parades have marched down Oak Tree Road on the same day and in almost exactly the same place, hosted by the Indian Business Association and the rival Oak Tree Road Business Association. The two groups had once been one, but they split a few years ago. The reasons are unclear.

"I'm really excited that, for the first time in a really long time, we're going to be all on the same road celebrating Indian independence," said Edison Councilwoman Sapana Shah.

The Oak Tree Road Business Association, meanwhile, isn't having its own parade this year.

Peter Kothari, a past president of the Oak Tree Road Business Association, said he won't participate in the IBA parade, and some other figures from his group won't, either. But he's not discouraging anybody from taking part if they want to.

"It's an Independence Day celebration, so we don't want to create animosity between our people," Kothari said.

But, Kothari said, the Indian Business Association hasn't done enough to welcome Oak Tree Road Business Association members into the fold for this parade. And next year, the Oak Tree Road Business Association will again apply for a permit, opening the possibility that the groups will splinter again, Kothari said.

For this year: "We wish them all the best, and they can do whatever they feel like," Kothari said. "Who has the time in America to fight?"